Typically a package includes components for support and passive and active electronic components for functional application. For example, an electrical package may include passive and active electronic components such as structure that electrically supports one or more chips and/or circuits of a computer or other electrical device. The electrical package also provides for the voltages and currents that supply the circuits and also provides for the transport of signals between the circuits. Many different parameters and effects need to be modeled to design and build the electrical package. Further, the electrical package needs to reasonably assure, for example, that the signals between circuits are acceptable, that noise generated by circuit switching and coupling is not severe, and that electromagnetic interference and compatibility meet requirements.
To accomplish the analysis required to design and package a device having components, for example, an electrical package, many different and specific programs or tools are employed. For example, tools which can ascertain capacitance, inductance, resistance, and full-wave tools. A full-wave tool generally includes all effects predicted by Maxwell's equations, and thus, Maxwell's equations are incorporated in the analysis. Maxwell's equations represent a concise way to state and develop the working relationship between electricity and magnetism. Further, many package parameters that need to be analyzed cannot be calculated directly from the related structure, but require that other elements such as conductors or power sources or artificial ground planes be introduced. With regard to this analysis, even experienced package engineers often do not know offhand which tool is most appropriate, or how to set up some of the structures extract the desired parameters. The novice or non-package engineer in addition may not know what values to assign the parameters required for input into these tools. Often, large numbers of similar calculations need to be made repeatedly. This is time consuming and labor intensive. These issues often steer the novice away from using analysis tools that would greatly enhance their work, as well as, often cause an expert designer to avoid or take shortcuts in the analysis to save time and effort.
Currently, a system, or program, or set of tools (programs) have not adequately resolved the disadvantages described. Advancements in package analysis often give rise to more complicated tools, not tools easier to use. They often involve the use of Graphical User Interfaces (GUI), or text mechanisms for data entry. Even the most user friendly of these requires many keystrokes or clicks to define and solve and generate the required results. Further, such tools often involve a specific kind of calculation, such as capacitance or inductance, and do not provide a comprehensive packaging solution. Even those tools that have many different underlying analysis codes require the user to make many decisions, to refer to complicated manuals, or to ask questions to support personnel.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a packaging program or tool that interfaces between the user and a large number of underlying computer programs or codes. Further, it would be desirable to have a packaging tool that automatically decides, from available information, which tool to use and how to analyze the structures to calculate the packaging parameters. It would further be desirable to provide a packaging tool which when provided incomplete information, intelligently determines missing parameter values. It would also be desirable to provide a packaging program or tool which lessens repeated calculations and reduces data entry into the tool.